Each Marin County Housing Element includes an Available Land Inventory that consists of enough Affordable Housing Opportunity Sites to meet the projected housing needs of Unincorporated Marin for the housing element’s planning period. Five Tam Junction sites have been identified as potential Affordable Housing Opportunity Sites. Three of these sites are proposed for inclusion in the current 2012 DRAFT Marin County Housing Element (2007 to 2014) and two are proposed for inclusion in the next Housing Element (2014 to 2022) or later housing element cycles.

Together these Tam Junction sites comprise 11.40 acres. If they remain on the list of Affordable Housing Opportunity Sites, they will be targeted for high-density housing with a density of up to 30 units per acre (or up to 40 units per acre if the State Density Bonus is granted).

According to the Countywide Plan, our commercial mixed-use areas are supposed to have a CAP of no more than 100 new residential units, which is already too many. So, it is curious as to why the Housing Elements’ EIR is evaluating 182 units.

Does this make sense?No! In the Tam Valley and Almonte lowlands, there are multitudinous constraints to development. These constraints include hazardous conditions (unacceptable traffic levels, flooding, projected sea level rise, high seismic activity, high liquefaction, subsidence, & mud displacement) and insufficient infrastructure, public services, retail & professional services and public transit as well as proximity to vulnerable natural habitat & endangered species. Encouraging new residential development, especially high density development, in these lowlands would increase the risk of undue harm to the environment and undue hardship, illness &/or injury to the residents.

The only way we can accomplish the above goal is if all of us, …every single one of us, work together to form a strong political voice. So, if you agree, click on the below "take action" button to learn what you can do to help.